“The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night.”

 

The marketing experts behind a prominent beer maker made the mistake of creating this ignorant advice and printing it on some of their bottles. Their new campaign #UpForWhatever is meant to inspire people to venture outside their box and have new experiences. Okay. I get that. In fact, I encourage people to try new things.

What concerns me is encouraging people who have been drinking to do #whatever they want and to ignore their gut-instinct that says “bad idea”.

We already have a problem with poor decision-making skills when it comes to alcohol use.

  • According to one study, alcohol is involved in half of all violent crimes, including sexual assault.
  • Thirty people die everyday from car accidents in which alcohol is involved.
  • In 2012 there were 140 boating accident deaths related to alcohol consumption.
  • Binge-drinking is considered risky behavior when it comes to sexual decision-making. Unprotected sex and/or having more than one partner increases a person’s odds of contracting an STI or becoming pregnant. In fact, a British study showed that at one clinic, patients  diagnosed with an STI consumed 40% more alcohol each week than their STI-free counterparts.

Encouraging individuals to say “yes” to any opportunity that presents itself while drinking is irresponsible at best. Marrying this misleading recommendation with the party-atmosphere ads that typically surround alcohol advertising promote the idea that ..

if fun is the goal, then drinking is the objective.

 

Conversation with your child about responsible drinking should begin at a young age. It is sort of like sex:

You know it will happen…

You don’t know when…

But when it does, you want them to be safe.

Encourage your kids to get out there and explore the world. Have them step outside their comfort zone and try new experiences. But before they do, hand them a frosty glass of….lemonade.

Adolescents do not need a beer ad to encourage them to spread their wings…

 they have YOU!

How do you encourage your children to step outside their comfort zones and try something new and invigorating? Leave a comment below to inspire ideas!